Scott Powers shared the first part of an interview he did with Blackhawks head coach Jeff Blashill on Thursday. In it, there are some good topics covered, including the immediate impact of Anton Frondell and Roman Kantserov on the top six and how he felt about the five-forward power play at the end of the year.
But I wanted to highlight part of his answer to a question about whether or not Blashill feels he saw a defined playing style from the Blackhawks this season. He said yes and no, and added this to his explanation of the no:
“it’s hard to really show your identity as a team when you don’t have the puck enough, and we didn’t have the puck enough. I think that’s just for numerous reasons, mainly because we’re really, really young. And so, I think your style gets more on display as your team grows and continues to get better and better.”
One other comment from Blashill that I think sheds some light on this being an emphasis moving forward for the Blackhawks came when he was talking about watching a lot of the playoffs this year, and how he’s viewing the way playoff teams play the game.
“within the different styles of the way teams play, what’s a common factor in success? For example, if you want to score in this league, you have to be really, really hard at the net. And that just shows in the playoffs over and over and over again. It’s just a good reminder to me that, hey, that’s gotta be a priority coming into next year…”
Blashill has circled some specific things in dark, red ink here for future planning. We’ll see if that has any bearing on what the Blackhawks do with the free agent/trade market this summer and at the draft.
I sat down with Blackhawks coach Jeff Blashill recently. Here's part one of our interview t.co/Cz2eXz1rQQ
— Scott Powers (@ByScottPowers) June 11, 2026 Corey Pronman explained his rationale in putting Chase Reid at No. 1 in his final prospect rankings for the 2026 NHL Draft. Premium player with good size and elite tolls at a premium position are all checked boxes. A very good read (especially for the San Jose Sharks… cough… wink…). On Friday, Pronman joined Scott Wheeler, Max Bultman and FloHockey’s Chris Peters on “The Athletic Hockey Show” to put together a consensus draft ranking list. The conversation is really good as they talk thru concessions that are made when ranking prospects. I found it interesting that, after a predictable top three of Gavin McKenna, Ivar Stenberg and Chase Reid, they have left-handed defenseman Alberts Šmits ranked fourth overall. Here’s what Pronman said about Šmits:“You think of some of the best European defensemen to come into the draft in the last decade, you think of (Miro) Heiskanen, you think of (Moritz) Seider, I think what he’s accomplished in those leagues and against men is comparable. He’s not quite the skater Heiskanen is, he’s not as physical as Seider, he’s a different player. But I think to me he looks like a pretty good bet to become a top-pair defenseman in the NHL.”
They also have 5-9 center Viggo Björck at No. 6 — ahead of defensemen Carson Carels, Keaton Verhoeff, Daxon Rudolph and Malte Gustafsson. Here’s their top 10: Source: The Athletic The Rockford IceHogs announced some dates for scheduled games in the 2026-27 season, including their home opener.MARK THOSE CALENDARS!! More information t.co/bJreFdh6Vh pic.twitter.com/tKJp59a0Cx
— Rockford IceHogs (@goicehogs) June 11, 2026 In “wow, I’m old” news, a familiar name popped up on the timeline yesterday. Trevor Daley, Jr. (yes, son of the former Blackhawks defenseman) signed with the Soo Greyhounds. He’s a terrific player, so this will be fun to watch.SIGNING ALERTSoo Greyhounds General Manager Kyle Raftis is excited to announce today, the signing of second-generation Greyhound, Trevor Daley Jr., to a OHL Scholarship and Development Agreement with the club.Welcome to the Soo, Trevor!DETAILS: t.co/obsy3IpIwd… pic.twitter.com/84ERVFZ7lK
— X – Soo Greyhounds (@OHLHoundPower) June 10, 2026 Joe Sakic met with the media in Denver and confirmed that the Avs will bring back their entire coaching staff. The Seattle Kraken announced a couple new hires on Thursday. Former Canucks exec Patrik Allvin is now their assistant GM and Pascal Vincent is an assistant coach. A couple nice gets for Seattle. The Boston Bruins announced Matt McIlvane is now an assistant coach. He was most recently the head coach of the San Diego Gulls (Anaheim’s AHL affiliate) from 2023-26. Finally, Elliotte Friedman reported on Thursday that Darnell Nurse has asked for a trade out of Edmonton. David Pagnotta at The Fourth Period reported the Pittsburgh Penguins and Los Angeles Kings are two teams on the list he provided the Oilers. Good ****ing luck, Stan!Reporting w/@SportsnetSpec Darnell Nurse asks for trade, agrees it’s time for a fresh start t.co/86Rep6aske
— Elliotte Friedman (@FriedgeHNIC) June 11, 2026BLEACHER NATION: Go Ad Free | Subscribe to the BN Newsletter
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